The Lincoln cent is one of the longest running coin designs in American history.
Victor David Brenner designed the obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln that first appeared in 1909.
By the year 1920, the design was well established in daily American commerce.
The year 1920 marked a busy post-war period for the United States economy.
Pennies from this era feature the iconic wheat ears on the reverse side.
Collectors refer to cents from this generation simply as Wheat pennies.
This particular coin holds rank 68 out of 200 in our tracking list.
Copper coins naturally change color over time when exposed to the air.
The BN designation on this piece stands for Brown.
A brown designation means the original mint red color has fully toned into a natural chocolate or dark patina.
Finding an early wheat cent with clean, original surfaces is always a treat for collectors.
A certified example of this 1920 penny appeared in an auction handled by HA.
The coin was certified at a grade of 62 with a BN color classification.
The recorded sale reference in the registry is 08/24.
A grade of 62 places a coin in the uncirculated Mint State category.
An uncirculated coin has never seen actual hand-to-hand spending in daily life.
Even without wear, a coin graded 62 may show minor contact marks or light spots from storage.
A brown cent at this level still maintains crisp design details from the minting dies.
Major auction houses like HA handle certified coins that have been authenticated by independent grading services.
Having a coin sealed in a protective plastic slab guarantees its grade and authenticity to bidders.
Certified auction results show what dedicated collectors are willing to pay for preserved history.
Many factors come together to determine what makes a century-old penny desirable.
The vast majority of pennies made in 1920 were spent immediately by the public.
People used pennies daily to buy newspapers, candy, and transit fares.
Decades of circulation wore down the fine details on Lincoln's hair, coat, and the reverse wheat stalks.
Coins that avoided circulation often suffered from moisture, improper cleaning, or harsh storage.
Copper is a very reactive metal that corrodes easily when stored in damp basements or old paper envelopes.
Because of this sensitivity, finding a survivor that stayed in uncirculated condition is challenging.
The BN surface shows that the coin aged naturally without artificial chemicals or harsh cleaning.
Collectors who build complete sets of Lincoln cents need an uncirculated example for every single year.
This steady collector demand keeps interest high for certified vintage cents.
Condition rarity is the biggest factor separating an ordinary old penny from an auction piece.
You can check your own coins at home with a few simple steps.
Start by looking at the obverse side of the coin to confirm the date.
The date 1920 sits clearly to the right of Lincoln's chest.
Flip the coin over to inspect the reverse side for the two ears of wheat.
Examine the high points of the design under good, direct lighting.
Check Lincoln's cheekbone, jawline, and the hair above his ear for signs of friction.
If the metal looks flattened or shiny from handling, the coin has seen circulation.
Use a 5x or 10x magnifying glass to look closely for small scratches or dents.
Make sure the coin has not been cleaned with metal polish or scrubbed with a cloth.
Cleaned copper looks unnatural, pink, or overly glossy, which ruins numismatic value.
When sorting through a large group of old coins, you can use Coin Value Checker on your phone to get an easy first look at what you have.
Keep in mind that most 1920 pennies found in old jars or pocket change are heavily worn.
A worn pocket piece will not command the price of a certified Mint State 62 example.
Only coins that retain their original mint details and earn a certified grade reach notable auction results.
The easy path to a value estimate runs through our breakdown of each coin valuation app we tried.